Lost Friends Found
by TiffanyLynn16
Summary: We all lose track of friends, even family as the years pass by. However, if you're lucky, on the off-chance you meet up with these long lost loved ones, you remember immediately how much they mean to you. rated t in case i ever use swears
1. Chapter 1

Early Edition- Lost Friends Found

Disclaimer; I don't own any characters aside from Tiffany

AN: i won't continue posting unless i have some indication people are reading and like, so please comment! :)

A bright red neon sign glows above a lonely sidewalk. McGinty's. Closing time is nigh. Gary Hobson watches the news on a small television above the bar. He stands with his arms crossed lazily over his chest. He looks behind him toward the front door. "I'll lock up Marissa." an African American woman turns her body toward the sound of his voice. "you just go, and have a good night." the blind woman smiles sweetly and pulls the door open; her German shepherd by her side.

"Goodnight Gary." he watches her leave and turns his attention back to the television program. Once again he'd made his way onto the late night newscast.

"I hate bank robberies..." he complains quietly and to no one in particular. "They always end up on the news." a soft cry sounds to Gary's left. He looks down at a little orange cat; an animal he'd become very familiar with over the past two years. The cat looks up at Gary from atop the bar with big green eyes, his nose pointed up at him, and a swaying tail. "Don't give me that look. It's your fault I'm on T.V. more often than the president." a small rumble from the cat's larynx and he jumps down from the bar counter and away from the grumpy Gary. A light tapping comes from a window behind Gary. He looks back to see the sound didn't come from a window but the glass of the front door.

A young brunette woman stands outside the door. She breathes out and her breath can be seen in a clear fog. Gary approaches the entrance and looks down on her short figure. "Sorry." He shakes his head and points to an overturned open sign that read 'closed' in big white letters. "We're closed." she pulls her hands into the velvet sleeves of her jacket.

"I know. I'm looking for Gary Hobson." Gary looks down on her face, noticing her rosy cheeks, and trying to remember whether or not he'd met the lady before. "But...I'm pretty sure I don't have to look any further. I could never forget those eyes." Gary opens the door a crack and squints his eyes against the chilly night breeze.

"Eh." he shuts his mouth and thinks, looking to his right to see Cat who'd let out a quiet cry. "Do I know you?" he waits for her response. She smiles at his inability to recognize her. She rubs her frozen nose with her coat sleeve.

"Tiffany. Tiffany O'Neill. I was your next door neighbor for 6 years." Gary purses his lips to form a word before deciding against speaking. He smiles down at her happily surprised to see her now-recognizable face.

"Nokiddin'." she watches his all too familiar boyish smile and pulls her scarf over her mouth and nose. Tiffany pushes up on her tiptoes and lowers herself to the ground again. A tell-tale sign of awkward impatience she shared with her father.

"Can I come in?" she questions curiously. Gary ponders her request for a moment before it clicks in his brain.

"Uh. Yeah, yeah please." he backs away from the entrance pulling the door open wider. Tiffany enters the welcoming warmth of the barroom. "Can I take your coat? Or your purse? I've got a special place behind the bar for..." Tiffany looks around the room at the booths against the walls and the tables in the middle; chairs stacked atop for closing.

"Actually I think I'll keep my jacket on until I warm up a bit more." she pulls her purse-strap from her right shoulder and hands it over to her old friend. "But you can take this." he wraps the long strap around the black bag once and tucks it beneath the bar. Tiffany takes a seat at the bar and looks up at the television.

"There you have it. Thanks to Chicago local Gar" the TV. blacks out and Tiffany looks to Gary standing with the remote control.

"News. There's never anything good." he stands behind the bar opposite her stool. He tucks the remote under the bar and travels to the door to lock it. "Can I getcha anything? Sorry I don't know what you drink."

"Uh. Sure how bout Sam Adams." she pushes her arms out of her sleeves and rests them upon the bar.

"Beer. Really." he makes a mental note and pours her a tall glass of the lager.

"What?" he'd sounded too surprised. Gary looks up at her as he hands her the drink.

"Nothin' I guess I didn't figure you the beer type." his explanation was worse than his shock.

"What _type_ did you think I was?" her question came out in no way hostile or insulted, just curious. He looks her over. The red discoloration on her nose and cheeks dulled to a light pink. Her dark brown hair wasn't as dark brown as he'd remembered from when they were teens. The blonde highlights bring out the golden color in her hazel eyes. She was beautiful. Much more beautiful than he'd recalled.

"Wine-coolers." she laughs at his 'type' choice and nods.

"Mmm yeah those are good. But I like bubbles." he pours himself a glass of rum and coke and takes a sip.

"Y'know, you don't look anything like I remember." he rests his upper body on the bar. She was significantly shorter than him even sitting on a barstool.

Tiffany looks Gary over. His hair was the same shade of ebony it had always been. His eyebrows still slant at the same crooked angle they always did when he was bemused. His smile remained unchanged by time. The only thing that'd really changed was his waist size which she was delighted to see had expanded a few inches. "Is that a bad thing?" he lifts his eyebrows realizing what he'd said might have insulted her; even though it hadn't.

"No not at all. I just wouldn't have recognized you if you hadn't said anything."

"Well aside from a more mature face you look _exactly_ the same."

"Now see that _is _a bad thing" Gary speaks through a light laugh. Tiffany shakes her head in quick protest.

"You know what your problem is Gare? Modesty." she raises her glass and he does the same respectably. "To lost friends found." she toasts and their glasses clink together.

"Friends." he mimics straight-faced. Tiffany looks down at the bar top laughing lightly. "What." she shakes her head and looks up at him.

"Nothing. I've imagined this. This _moment_. Us meeting again for the first time. Y'know I was so scared it would be awkward. That we wouldn't know what to say to each other after all this time. But you haven't changed. And you're still so easy to talk to. Its like we were never apart." she shakes her head and rolls her eyes. "I hate to ask. But I haven't eaten in almost 16 hours could I make myself a sandwich or something?" he picks himself up off of the bar and speaks.

"I'll make us something I've got a kitchen full of food. What are you in the mood for?"

"Ummm just a ham sandwich." he smiles at a memory of the teenager the woman before him once was.

"No late night French toast?" she laughs at his question.

"God, Gary you remember that? I haven't had French toast after lunchtime in ages." she contemplates his option "If you don't mind making it at" she looks at the clock behind him "11:30 at night then yeah sure."


	2. Chapter 2

Early Edition- Lost Friends Found part 2

Disclaimer; I don't own any characters aside from Tiffany

AN: I hadn't posted this story as a 'crossover' because it is not about two shows, it is simply early edition, however I used Jack O'Neill of Stargate as Tiffany's father figure, he is only mentioned therefore I saw no need to categorize it as a crossover. But just so you know

Tiffany looks at the clock behind the bar. She blinks twice and raises her brow. "Gare." she grabs his attention. "It's two in the morning."

"No." he defies before looking up at the clock with wide eyes. "It's two o'clock." he buries his head in his hands and pulls them down his face. "Where are you staying?" she offers a light smile and answers in a low tone.

"Nowhere right now... I came here first. I didn't even think about sleep until right now." Gary picks up the empty syrup covered plates on the bar.

"You can stay the night. I've got plenty of room for one more." Gary offers disappearing to discard of the plates. "There aren't many hotels in Chicago open for business at two a.m."

Gary turns the key in his doorknob until it clicks and the knob rotates. The door swings in and Gary raises his arm in the direction of his apartment. "After you." she steps in and looks around. She sets her purse down on a side table by the couch.

"It's nice. The couch looks comfy." Gary pulls a set of sheets from a large chest and a pillow from his bed behind the couch. Tiffany reaches for the sheets and pillow in his arms

"Ohhh no. You get the bed." he insists setting the couch up for himself.

"No. Gary. You're not gona kick yourself out of your own bed for me. You're doing enough just letting me stay the night." she takes the sheets and spreads them out over the couch cushions. "Thank you though." she pulls a pair of pajamas from her bag "Where's your bathroom?" he points to a door and she walks over to it. Gary takes the opportunity to dress down to his boxers, slip a pair of pajama pants on and get into bed. Gary watches the bathroom door in deep thought. She steps out not five minutes after entering changed and ready for bed. Her black silk pajamas flow around her body comfortably. She looks over at Gary in bed and smiles. "Goodnight Gary." he nods and pulls his top covers higher on his chest.

"Night." he makes himself comfortable and Tiffany turns the lights off. She sits on the couch, rests her left arm on the back and watches Gary turn to a more comfortable position by the light of the street light posts outside. She smiles and lays herself down to sleep.

Gary groans at the sound of the news on his alarm clock radio. He pulls himself up and dangles his legs over the edge of the bed. "ohh" he moans bringing his right hand to his head. He looks around and listens carefully. No cat meowing... He stands and makes his way to the door. Opening it he finds; nothing. Absolutely nothing. No cat and no paper. He raises one eyebrow confused and shuts the door. "Morning." Tiffany smiles up at Gary from her chair at his small dining table. Gary opens his eyes wide at the sight before him. Cat sat comfortably on her lap. His eyes squinted in sheer enjoyment as she scratches his head. To Tiffany's right was the paper. "I didn't know you had a cat."

"Well." Gary grabs the paper and sits at the table opposite her.

"I didn't figure you the cat type." she scratches behind Cat's ear."

"I'm not." a hint of exasperation in his tone. "He kinda comes with the paper." he looks down at the black and white print on the second page and back up at Tiffany with an eyebrow raised. "You uh, you didn't read it did you?" she looks at him with utter confusion on her face.

"The paper." he clarifies.

"Nope. I'm not a paper reader. Too boring..." Cat turns on Tiffany's lap and looks up at her. He grabs her attention with a quiet meow.

"He really likes you." Gary's surprise shows on his face and his tone.

"I have that effect on animals... Don't ask me why." she picks the cat up off her lap and holds him to her chest, she scratches under his chin gently. Cat closes his eyes satisfied.

"Anything good?" Gary keeps his eyes glued to the paper and shrugs his shoulders with a noncommittal 'eh'.

"So. I should go. I've got a car full of my things and a hotel to find." Gary looks up at her now, his ears move down slightly and he purses his lips to speak.

"Do you wanna stay here? Until you find a place, I mean." she stands up and puts the cat on the floor.

"Gary I can't."

"Well why can't ya? It's free, there's plenty of room. And you said yourself last night its only until you find an apartment." Tiffany looks down at Cat and back at Gary. She pushes her fingers through her hair, scratching the back of her head in thought.

"I dunno Gare."

"Stay. Why waste your money? I-if ya don't wanna stay with me you can stay with my friend. Marissa. She's real nice. I think you two would get along just fine." his insistence puts a new sort of pressure on her. She shakes her head and crosses her arms over her chest.

"Okay, I'll stay. But you're not giving up your bed and I'll be out of your hair as soon as possible. And you're not gonna pawn me off on one of your friends Gary that's rude she doesn't know me." he nods once and puts the paper on the table.

"Deal." he agrees. "help yourself to the kitchen downstairs we got plenty of food."

"Thanks but I'm not hungry, and I'm gonna go out and explore." Gary looks her up and down, she had on a dark blue pair of boot-cut jeans and a black t-shirt.

"I'd put a jacket on. They don't call it the windy city for nothing." she pulls a plaid flannel shirt from her bag and wraps it around her shoulders.

"Kay. I'll be back. I don't know when though." he nods his acknowledgment and walks over to a small lock box.

"I gotta go out too. Here's a spare in case you're back before me." she takes the key from him and puts it in her purse.

"Thank you. Really you didn't have to..."

"I want to." she nods, steps back, turns on her left foot and heads out the door.


	3. Chapter 3

Early Edition- Lost Friends Found3

Disclaimer; I don't own any characters aside from Tiffany

AN: I can't express how happy I am to have readers thank you for taking the time to look at my fiction and I hope you continue to enjoy!

Chuck and Marissa sit at a four person table together. Footsteps sound on the not-too-distant floorboards of McGinty's barroom. Marissa looks up in the direction of the sound. "Morning Gary." she greets with a smile. She knew it was him by the weight of his footsteps on the ground. Along with the fact that the bar itself wasn't yet officially open and Gary is the only one with an apartment upstairs, through the door in which he'd just come out.

"Mornin'." he pours himself a cup of coffee and sits with the two of them. Chuck looks at Gary's drying hair and the dark circles under his eyes.

"You look sick." he observes, only to receive a well deserved glare from Gary.

"You sound tired." Marissa adds matter-of-factly. Gary sips his coffee and puts the mug down on the table.

"That's 'cause I am. I was up till two in the morning." Marissa looks in the direction of Gary's voice to her left.

"Two in the morning? Why so late? Was it the paper?"

"No. No it wasn't the paper. I had some unexpected company. An old friend stopped by last night after you left." Chuck smiles at his oldest friend.

"Who stopped by?" Gary rubs his tense back neck muscles. He answers Chuck in a whisper.

"Tiffany O'Neill." Chuck asks again, he hadn't heard Gary's answer. "Tiffany O'Neill." he repeats louder.

"You mean that girl you lived right next to? The one you were head over heels for? Huh. Whaddaya know?"

"Wait..." Marissa interrupts quickly. "I'm confused, who's Tiffany?"

"She's this girl Gary liked back in high school. But he never asked her out. She lived right next to him. One house over." Gary glares at Chuck. A warning to him telling him to stop talking.

"Why didn't you ask her out?" Gary shifts his gaze from Chuck to Marissa.

"Wha...Wait a minute. When did my love-life become the subject of our conversation?" Marissa continues the conversation.

"Well you must have had a reason." she insists, not dropping the subject. "Why didn't you ask her Gary?" Gary shifts his gaze again quickly between his two friends; settling it on Marissa who'd asked the question.

"Well I. Ya see she had this..."

"Her dad was in the air force." Chuck answers for Gary who looks at him as if to say hey I was getting there!

"You were afraid of her father?" Marissa laughs lightly as not to insult her friend.

"Ehyeah y'see he..."

"You shoulda been there. Gare could barely get out a word forget form a sentence when that guy was around." Gary stares at Chuck, frustration shown clearly on his face. His friend finishing his thoughts for him was getting on his nerves; especially because he made Gary sound like a coward.

"He was a very intimidating man." Gary defends.

"He must have been to scare Gary Hobson away." Marissa teases with a smile.

"Yeah laugh all you want. But she didn't even _like _you." Gary taunts Chuck.

"Oh contraire my friend. We were good friends." Chuck defies with a smirk. Gary lifts an 'oh really' eyebrow at Chuck. "We were ok friends..." Chuck tries again. Gary looks away as if he were fine with the second statement. He thinks about Chucks words and furrows his brow looking at Chuck again. "What? We were ok."

"Ok? You two never even talked. I remember I was there. If you talked at all it was cause you were hitting on her and she was tellin' you to go bug some other girl." Gary clarifies for Marissa, who still sat listening intently. Chuck sits back in his chair and throws his hands behind his head pretentiously.

"Least I had the guts to try." he gloats.

"Yeah well I-" Gary closes his mouth and raises his brow at a section of the paper. "I gotta go." Chuck looks at Gary; a smirk still plastered on his face. Marissa's ears perk up at the sudden change in Gary's tone.

"What is it?" Gary stands, taller then both of his sitting friends, he looks down to answer.

"The paper. I've gotta go stop a little girl from climbing a tree and getting a broken leg." he places a cubs baseball cap on his head and folds the paper. He shoves it in his right rear pocket and nods politely to his friends. "Excuse me." he requests and leaves the barroom.


	4. Chapter 4

Early Edition- Lost Friends Found4

Disclaimer; I don't own any characters aside from Tiffany

AN: I can't express how happy I am to have readers J thank you for taking the time to look at my fiction and I hope you continue to enjoy!

A little blonde girl, around six years old watches a small gray kitten escape through a glass slider door when her father goes inside with a plateful of grilled sausage for breakfast. She stands and steps out of the sandbox she'd been playing in. "Mom!" she calls watching the family pet run by. "Mommy Tigger's outside!" she looks through the slider door into the kitchen at her mother whipping pancake batter and her father disciplining her older brother for something beyond her knowledge. She looks away from the house in the direction her kitten had run. He stands by the back chain-link fence on alert; ears perked up and body close to the ground ready to run. She runs toward him and he runs around her faster then she can turn around. She turns and runs after him headed for the front yard. "Wait Tigger!" she calls lightly. "Tigger!" he runs toward the road and a red VW bug flies by the yard; clearly ignoring the posted speed limit of 20 miles per hour. The little gray cat stops abruptly changes direction and scurries up a tree.

Gary looks at his watch and down at the paper. Two minutes to 7:30, the time written in the newspaper. Gary quickens his pace to a jog. "Help!" he hears a high pitched cry "Mommy?" He jumps the short chain-link fence and stops under the tree. He looks up.

"Eh Ma-" he stops to look down at the paper; sure to get her name right. "Madison?" the little girl holds onto a tree branch for dear life. She nods slowly watching the strange man below her. He carefully assesses the situation. He looks the tree up and down searching for the safest way up. "Stay right there Madison I'm comin' up." Gary pockets his paper and places his right arm between a thick branch and the tree.

"Hurry!" she begs terrified.

"I'm comin' sweetie just hang on. A-a-and don't look down." Madison does as he says clutching the branch and shutting her eyes tight. Gary climbs up to her and he puts his hand on her back. "Madison I'm here. Now open your eyes." he looks down momentarily to make sure his left foot has a good hold on the branch he stood on. She opens her eyes and grabs hold of his neck. Gary pulls her from the branch slowly and begins his decent.

"Wait" she cries holding onto his neck tight. "Tigger!" her kitten sat on a branch above them crying in fright.

"Tigger?" Gary asks and looks up to see the kitten. "Tigger." he whispers reassessing the situation. "I'll get Tigger. But first I gotta get you back on the ground." he assures the child in his right arm. He carefully climbs down to safety. Once on the ground Madison runs into her house. Gary makes his way back up the tree for the kitten halfway to the top. He reaches up for the cat with his right hand, holding onto the tree with his left. "Here kitty." he calls quietly. "Comere lil buddy." a low growl comes from the little animal in front of Gary. He moves his hand away. "If you bite me cat I swear." he reaches out again. " C'mon Tigger. That's it let go of the tree." he tries to pry the kitten from the tree. Tigger retracts his claws and Gary holds him close to his chest on the way down.

"That's him Daddy. He's the man the helped me." to Gary's surprise three more people had come outside. He looks to the tall dark-haired man holding Madison. Gary pets the kitten in his hands. "Tigger!" she calls out with a smile. "Thanks mister stranger!" Gary offers a smile and looks at the mother holding her sons shoulders securely, something a mother did when she was ready to defend her children. He had saved their daughter, but he was still a stranger standing in their front yard.

"Thank you." the father offers his hand to shake. Gary gives the kitten to their son and returns his gesture. "she told us what happened."

"You're welcome. It was nothing really. I was just walking by. An' I heard someone calling for help." not entirely a lie...while not the whole truth.

"We thought she was in the backyard. We turned our backs for just a second." the mother explains trying to make it sound like they were good parents, even though Gary had no doubts about their parenting capabilities.

"That's all it takes now isn't it. Just that one second."

"We're sorry you had to..." the father begins to apologize.

"Please. Don't be. Its no ones fault really. Just. Try to keep your cat in." he suggests with a friendly smile. "Now, if you'll excuse me I better go. It was nice meeting you." Madison's mother offers him a smile and Madison escapes her fathers arms. He squats down to her level and she gives him a big hug. He hugs her with a smile.

"Thanks mister." she says again.

"You're welcome." she backs away and he touches his right pointer finger to her cheek gently "You stay out of trees." she agrees with a shy nod and Gary stands, turns, and leaves their property.


	5. Chapter 5

Early Edition- Lost Friends Found5

Disclaimer; Don't Own Anything but Tiffany

A/N: I am glad people are reading! I was going to stop posting until I received a comment J so thanks for that!

Tiffany walks into McGinty's after opening; around 10:00 a.m. She looks around at the still semi empty barroom. An African American woman stands behind the bar. Tiffany thinks a moment before deciding to introduce herself to the blind woman. "Hi, you wouldn't happen to know if Gary's around would you?" Marissa turns her head in the direction of the woman's voice but her eyes don't move.

"Mind if I ask who's asking?" she questions politely.

"My name's Tiffany. I'm an"

"You're Tiffany?" she offers a hand up and Tiffany takes it. "Marissa." she smiles.

"Oh. Wow nice to meet you. I haven't heard much about you but Gary seems to think we'd get along great." Tiffany mentions with a light laugh.

"He does, does he. Well you seem nice enough." she teases. "It's nice to meet you." Tiffany nods smiling.

"Would you look at that. Do my eyes deceive me or is Tiffany O'Neill standing in front of me." Chuck announces to the barroom. Tiffany turns slowly to the right. "Still beautiful I see."

"Chuck Fishman... Why am I not surprised." she pulls herself up onto a barstool. I see you haven't changed a bit." he stands next to her with a smirk.

"Why change?" his ego rears it's ugly head. She rolls her eyes and looks to Marissa.

"So who's this handsome dog beside you?" Marissa smiles and Tiffany admires her seeing eye dog.

"Spike."

"Hey spike. You are so gorgeous." Chuck places his hands on the bar and announces his need to leave... Something about an appointment with the hottest entertainment in Chicago.

Gary opens the paper to the article about the little girl he'd saved minutes ago. He looks up at someone honking their horn at him, sees the grey Beamer and ignores the aggressive driver, staying on the sidewalk and looking down at the paper. Per usual a new article had taken the place of Madison's story. He reads the headline that spelled out 'hit and run' he swallows, breathes out his nose heavily, and skims the article; reading aloud to himself. "Early yesterday morning a local woman crossing on the corner of South Aberdeen street and West 86th street was struck by a dodge pick-up when it ran a red light. The man in the pick-up continued on his way leaving the mother, her four year old daughter, and her unborn child to die." Gary lifts his brow and tries to keep the sickness he felt in his stomach in. He searches for a time of day, only to be disappointed. All the newspaper said was 'early morning'. For all Gary knew he was two late and three lives had been lost. He shakes the pessimistic thought from his mind and hurries to the nearest bus stop.


End file.
